A song that describes our love...

When Jes and I were first married, and life was throwing our first trials at us, Jes came home from work one day with a rose and a CD. He said he had loved this song when he was younger, and that he knew it applied to us. He played it for me. We sat and held each other and cried. And we have looked for rainbows and fought hard for our relationship ever since!

Here is the SONG.

Love is something that needs worked at every day. It is not just a feeling. It is a state of mind. We always try to put each others needs first... and amazingly our own are met at the same time. We feel so blessed to married to our very best friends and to be so close. We also know weathering the storms of life together and united has made all the difference in the world!! :) Hope you enjoy a glimpse into our love and my cute husbands rare romantic side *wink*

Missin' my Bubba!

He has been gone for 5 days! I have kept myself super busy to not think about it. I am sure he is loving Scout camp... and I am sure he will not regret having gone... but my mommy heart is missing him like crazy. I have to live in a numb state to be able to function! LOL It's crazy!! Having Emma go to girls camp was easier for me than this has been! (of course Em is so independent and not affraid to speak up if she need something) It's been a long 5 days!

Today it is "Family Night" and we get to go up and spend a few hours with him at camp. He comes home tomorrow! I have butterflies! I am like a kid at Christmas! I wanna see my sweet boy!! SHEESH! I am a big baby!!!!!!

Friends...

In this crazy-busy "connected" world we live in - I am blessed to have friends. I have thought a lot about this lately. I have been considering going private with our family blog, as well as leaving FACEBOOK. I know there is time I spend on there that could be better spent. I also know there is more I would like to document in our lives that maybe I don't want internet crazies  to be able to know about us.

And then I think about my friends. I have friends from all over... friends that I really do love and miss, who with this busy world we live in, without some of these social medias, I would have lost contact with all together. I would not have known that a very special woman in my life had passed away, nor been able to offer her husband comfort in knowing she made a difference for a whole generation! I would not have known that a dear childhood friend lost his Dad and been able to be one of the only friends that really could show up to the funeral! I would have lost contact with a friend who had something to share in my life that helped me through some of my darkest times!

There are so many levels of friendship in this world. And I feel extremely blessed to live in a time when those relationships can be fostered and continued beyond immediate same space occupations.

My life is blessed with so many good people.
They make me laugh.
They make me cry.
They offer words of love.
They make me think.
They share their life experiences and enrich my life and the lives of my family.
They give me a chance to give back.

I am so very grateful for friends. In all aspects of my life! I know that I am not alone in this trial called life. I have poeple around me who love me, support me, want the best for me and my family, and whom I can count on if I ever need them. In turn they give me someone to love, someone to support, and someone to wish the best for, who I hope can count on me in a pinch as well. Heavenly Father really knew what He was doing when He sent us here to help each other!

Today I am grateful for friends!!!!!! I love you. I thank you for sharing this mortal journey with me! *GRIN*

Living in Boxes

We are living in boxes... oh wait! LOL Maybe that should be "we are living out of boxes" Bwahahahaha!! I must say it has its advantages...

* There is little to clean up because most everything is packed.
* I do laundry more often because most of our clothes are packed.
* Our meals are simple because most of my kitchen is packed.
* We watch fewer movies because they are packed.

You get the idea! Hee hee

We are moving. Our mortgage company FINALLY responded and gave us a modification offer. It was awful! I won't go into details... but lets just say it would prevent ANY financial recovery, leave us trapped in this house for years and years, and was just plain dishonest and unfair. We have prayed long and hard and know that this is Heavenly Father sending us in another direction in our lives. It was hard to accept, because we wanted so badly to stay, but peace has come and now we are looking forward to the next step in life.

We are staying in the neighborhood/ward and actually will be less than half a block away. It is a cute smaller home than ours, but the backyard is finished and Jes will have a 3 car garage. So... we will make due. It is the right move for our family at this time... and we are thankful for some resolution!!! :)

We can't move for another 4 weeks... so we are just hanging out, living out of boxes (ha ha) until then.

Can't believe summer is just 6 weeks from over! It's been a crazy one that's for sure! Speaking of crazy... I better get busy getting Cody ready for Scout Camp. (gone for a week! *gulp* a whole week!!) We only have a few days left! :D

Promise of things to come...

Things have been so crazy lately!!

And the other night, out our back door we enjoyed Heavenly Father's ray of hope... 

Double-fold! *grin* 

Talk about gorgeous!

God really does love us doesn't He??

CURSIVE!!!!!!

My body beat the odds again!!!!! WAHOO!!!!!!! I was SOO SUPER excited!!!!!!!!
I have been working on my handwriting, cursive especially, for months. It has been 7 months since my stroke. The doctors/therapists told us that after 6 months there would be little/to no recovery. I have been secretly disappointed. My handwriting looks like a 3rd grader. And anyone who knows me, knows I did have really pretty good handwriting! And hence, I was disappointed to think this would be my norm forever. Handwritting seems to be a part of our identity to me... if that makes any sense! LOL
I try to write in my journal a couple of times a week. If I am not too tired, the print is easy to read and looks really good. If I am tired it is messy and wobbly. I have been signing my name for a couple of months, and doing *some* cursive on and off. It has been mentally taxing to write in cursive. The curves are hard to do! Straight lines... no problem! Curves.. aye aye aye!

Last Sunday, after Cody's Ordination Day and Family party, I was completely exhausted. I had been running a fever for over a week, and the 2 days before I started head cold type symptoms. I was miserable. BUT! It had been SUCH a wonderful day, I wanted to write down the happenings of the day and my feelings about it...
I picked up the pen and started writing. IN PERFECT CURSIVE!!!!!!!! It felt like a light bulb went on and suddenly it worked!!! There was NO effort needed mentally! I sat there crying at both WHAT and I was writing... and HOW I was writing!! Even 7 months after a stroke, my mind is still creating new pathways!! I couldn't believe it.
It is another nod to how we should not listen to the limitations placed upon us by "normal" outcomes in others! Ever! We are all individual, and we CAN beat the odds!! *GRIN*

I wonder if the fever got my body in healing mode and that didn't help a ton? Who knows!? But HAPPY DAY!!! It thrills me to have one more "part of who I am" returned to me!! :) :) :) HAPPY!

A new Deacon...

(In Order - left to right - his Papa Dorius, Dad, Bishop Wilkey, Cody, Papa Stoddard and Uncle Kevin)

Cody was Ordained a Deacon this last Sunday, July 10th.

He wanted it to be quiet and simple, so we just had his Grandpa's and Uncle Kevin (who happily just happened to be passing through on their way back to Tucson) come down for it. 

All the Priesthood Holders 

Everyone who came:

Gr'Annie, Papa Stoddard, Cameron, Mom, Dad, Cody, Caleb, Papa Dorius, Gram, Cousin Jake, Uncle Kevin, Cousin Amanda, Aunt Becky & Emmalee 

We are so HAPPY for him!! 

Our Family

July 10th, 2011 

3 Generations 

And two of the Stoddard Grandson Deacons! :)

It was a beautiful day!!

All about Cody:

Our tall and growing one turned 12 today!

He wanted homemade buttermilk pancakes for breakfast.

We went shopping for clothes for his first time really ever, and he got all new Sunday clothes.

He will be Ordained a Deacon this Sunday. 

Here are some fun facts about Cody:

•  He loves to read. He spends a lot of his time buried in a book on his bed.
• He loves to play on his Nintendo DS, he has requested Pokemon Black for his birthday.
• Cody's best friend is Emmalee
• He has a group of friends at school that includes girls and boys. He attended his 1st co-ed birthday party a couple weekends ago.
• He loves to eat pancakes and waffles with peanut butter and syrup.
• His favorite meal is my Homemade Winger's Chicken, celery sticks, ranch dressing and hot rolls.
• He has an awesome sense of humor - if you can get him past his shyness. LOL
• Cody is no respecter of shoes. If he needs to go outside he will grab the closest flip-flops around and wear them! LOL
• He would be happy eating PB&J every day for lunch.
• He hates to ride scooters or bikes, as he has no depth perception.
• His favorite candy is Reeces Peanut butter cups... and so cookies of course are RPBC Cookies!
• Cody's favorite cereal is Honey Nut Cherrios, Cinnamon Toast Crunch or Waffle Crisp
• His favorite color is Aqua Blue.
• He likes to watch Jimmy Neutron (a cartoon)
• He loves to go camping, but is nervous for his first week long Scout camp.
• He completed his Faith In God booklet this week! LOL Just in time! *wink*

Cody has an amazing testimony, and is constantly asking us questions to learn more and more and more. He is a smartie pants! LOL

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CODY!!!!

We are so very very blessed to have you in our family!!!!!!!
We LOVE YOU!!

Temple Day w/Emmalee

We have been trying to plan a date for Emmalee to go to the Temple with Jes and I since she got her recommend when she turned 12. The first year we kept trying to work it out that her Grandparents could come too, but there were surgeries, illnesses, trips, monthly "aunt" visits, etc. Always something. (ha ha isn't that *always* how it is when trying to go to "The Place that Must Not Be Named"?

She turned 13 last November. She had gone with a friend, and she went with her Young Women's group, but we had not made it there as a family. We planned to go on our Family's Sealing Date - December 6th. I had a stroke early that morning!

(what the?? LOL)

SO... she has been wonderfully patient and waited - but enough was enough! Emma and I secretly wrote a date on the calendar. We did not say it out loud. But we agreed on a date and time. Daddy couldn't make it - but we went anyway!

And just she and I went! It was a very sweet experience.

Thanks Em for being so patient...

and here is yet another reason why at our house attending the Temple is referred to as "Going to The-place-that-must-not-be-named." Satan seems to not understand that secret code name! LOL